How to care for indoor plants: tips and tricks
Indoor plants help to give our homes a touch of colour and life. But they're much more than that: they allow us to bring the different rooms in our house closer to nature; they add a sense of tranquillity, peace and harmony that we could not achieve with any other element. But for all this to become a reality, we must take care of them with dedication, even when we have no idea what we're doing. That's why we're here to give you tips on how to care for indoor plants to keep them as fresh and vibrant as the very first day you got them.
1. Consider the light in your home
To figure out which plants will suit your space, consider the sunlight available in your home. The labels on our plants indicate whether they need shade, indirect light or direct sunlight. They also mention whether they are outdoor or indoor plants and the appropriate temperatures.
On our website, you'll find this information in the "materials and maintenance" section. So, before you decide to purchase any of them, we recommend that you read all this information carefully so that you make the right choice.
If the light changes in the various rooms of your house, you can choose different plants, placing those that need more light or direct light in brighter areas and those that don't in darker corners of your house. This way, you will have a greater variety of plants and the result will be much more eye-catching.
2. Let them adapt to the space and the soil
Apart from researching in advance, as we indicated above, it is essential to observe the plants to find out what they need: more water, less water, more space, more light etc. If you look closely, you will see how they "talk" to you to tell you what they need.
It's also true that in most cases, it's not necessary to replant them during the first year; so you can leave them as they are, without needing to give them more space in a bigger pot. Of course, you can use different planters to add some colour and style to your home.
Make sure that you always place a saucer at the bottom of the pot, as it helps to drain excess water.
After a year, or when you notice that they need more space, it’s time to replant them. In this article, we explain how to do it step by step. You'll see that it's easier than it seems!
Here's an extra trick. If you want to give them even more vitality, add a fertiliser to your care routine, such as VÄXER, which contains nutrients that will help them to grow stronger and healthier. We recommend that you use this fertiliser especially in the spring and summer, during the growth stage.
3. Watering frequency depends on the type of plant.
Want to know a trick to understand when to water a plant? If you touch the soil and it sticks to your finger, don't water it! It's still wet enough.
If you get your plants from IKEA, you'll see that our labels have water drops on as a guide: when you see a single drop, it means water them once a week or every two to three weeks. If there two drops, once or twice a week (without standing water). And if the label shows three drops, two or three times a week (without dry soil).
If you are still in doubt, you can use a plant watering sensor like CHILIPULVER. Placed in the soil, it indicates if watering is necessary with a blue light.
You can also opt for self-watering plant pots, which do the work for you. However, we assure you that caring for, watering and pampering plants is calming and will become one of your favourite hobbies. So, if you're looking for more relaxing moments in your life and to escape from stress, don't hesitate! We're sure that gardening will help you achieve greater peace of mind.
4. Artificial plants: the alternative for effortless evergreen corners
We've come to the end of the article. If you've given up on indoor plants, don't have much time to devote to caring for them or simply want a vertical garden that will always look as splendid as it did the very first day, perhaps now is the time to think about artificial plants.
Artificial plants always look fresh and never die, so you can use your creativity to create stunning natural decor. You can also use open cabinets and square plant panels to create a vertical garden simply.
Our advice? Take into account your home's decor when choosing a combination of artificial plants. But don't be afraid to create contrast because that's what will make the style of your home unique and special.
Another option, of course, is to combine both types of plants – real and artificial – to achieve the natural decor you are looking for without spending as much time on it. In case you want to learn more, here’s a selection of articles on plant care that may be of interest to you.
We love it when customers use our products in a creative way. Why not try to do something new with them yourself? But do remember, any modifications or changes that you make to IKEA products will prevent them from being resold or used for their original purpose, thus invalidating IKEA product warranties and your right to return them.
